Hoisting drag bucket



June 16, 1942.

HOIS'IEING 'mm BUCKET Fil-ed Jan. 5, 1942; 2 Sheets-Sheet Y 1 FRANCIS E. "sE TTEH'STEN F. E. SET'II'EYRISTEN j 2386,7(55-) Patented June 16, 1942 2 HOISTING DRAG BUCKET Francis E. Settersten, Seattle, Wash., assignor to Northern Stevedores, Inc., Seattle, Wash, a corporation .of Washington Application January 5, 1942, Serial No. 425,605

8 Claims.

TlLs invention relates to a drag bucket which is particularly designed for such work as the unloading of coarse ore. Such coarse ore will prevent closure of aclamshell bucket, spilling the contenta'hence a drag bucket, which can also hoist its load, is necessary.

The present invention Will be found particularly useful in hoisting such a load from the hold of a normal cargo vessel, through the hatch. For such'work it is essential that the bucket be capable of being drawn back from the hatch, between decks, and then drawn toward the hatch for loading, after which it must be hoisted in such position as will retain its load, and'w'hen it has been swung overside to a dump point it must be capable of being dumped certainly and expeditiously. It must then be capable of movement at least to a level position, or back to the loadcarrying position, so that it may be lowered through the hatch, and again hauled back away from the hatch for reloading.

Buckets intended for such operation have been proposed heretofore, but they have been complicated by the necessity for employing special trip lines or control lines, in addition to load-supporting lines, and in some instances by the necessity of employing brake mechanism or the like, associated with the bucket itself. Such provisions are objectionable, first, because they detract from the simplicity and ruggedness of the device, and from its reliability, particularlyv under such conditions of Weather as must be. encountered in the use indicated, and because the extra lines and the like have a tendency to foul in the hoist lines and other necessary load-carrying lines, guy lines, rigging, and the like, and because they require additional means of control at the hoisting winch.

It is therefore a prime object of the present invention to provide a drag bucket for such uses as have been indicated, or, of course, for analogous uses, which is simple, rugged, and dependable, and in which the number of lines attached to the bucket is reduced to the minimum, particularly during hoisting, in which all such lines are load-carrying lines, and in which the control of the bucket for dumping, or for movement into load-carrying position, alternatively, is accomplished merely by tensioning one or the other of two load-carrying lines, which may be reeled upon two separately controlled drums of the hoisting winch.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a bucket for such a purpose, with parts so proportioned and arranged that the loading of the bucket and its handling is interfered with to a that it will not tilt while loading.

With these and other objects in view, such as will appear hereafter, the invention comprises the novel parts, and the novel combination and arrangement thereof, relative to one another, as is shown in the accompanying drawings, described in this specification, and as will be more particularly defined by the claims which terminate the same. J

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown in a form which is at present preferred by me, although it will be understood that various changes may be made in the form, character, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined by the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the bucket in its loading position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bucket in its load-carrying position, ready for hoisting, and showing in dash lines its dumping position.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the bucket, with parts shown in the dumping position.

A scoop I is provided with a raised or rounded rear wall Ill, and a forwardly projecting, generally flat bottom II, which may carry teeth I2, if required. This scoop, open toward its front end, is supported by a bail 2, which is pivoted to the bucket at 20, the pivot axis being generally at the center of curvature of the rounded rear end It]. The projecting bottom II constitutes 'in'efiett an unbalanced overhang when there is a load in the bucket, and this overhang tends to swing the bucket from load-hoisting position into dumping position, that is, from the full-line position of Figure 2 into the position shown in dash lines, unless the tilting action is restrained.

A pennant or line 3 constitutes a hoist line, 7

and is anchored at 30 to the horizontal arm of the U-shaped bail. The hoist line 3, however, does not extend directly upwardly from this point of securement at 30, but extends thence under and around a line guide, which may take the form of a pulley I3, which is supported upon a bracket I! carried bya cross bar I4 formed on the scoop I, and located well above its bottom and its open front end, and, in all positions of the scoop, located somewhat to one side of the scoops center of gravity. The hoist line '3 then passes from the first line-guiding pulley l3 to a second line-guiding pulley 23, and behind the same, this pulley 23 being located in a bracket 22 carried by the horizontal arm of the bail 2. From this point the hoist line 3 extends upwardly to any suitable overhead support, and thence to a hoisting winch (not shown).

The entire weight of the bucket may be supported from the hoist line 3. On the other hand, the entire weight of the bucket may be supported from a dump line 4, which extends upwardly from a securing ring or clevis 40, or the like, which is attached to the bail 2 or to the brack- It should be pointed out that the first lineguiding pulley I3 is located somewhat inward, radially of the pivot center at 20, from the second line-guiding pulley 23, and also inwardly from the clevis 4!]. It should be pointed out also that cooperating stops, 2| on the bail 2 and I5 on the sides of the scoop, prevent movement of the first line-guiding pulley |3 to or past alignment with the second line-guiding pulley 23, so

' that the loaded bucket, when supported upon the hoist line 3, always has a tendency to overbalance and to dump. The bracket 22 and the bracket may also be so formed that they contact, when the stops 2| and I5 contact,to transmit the load more directly from the scoop to the bail, and thence to the hoist line 3. This is well shown in Figures 1 and 2. Stops l6 may also be provided along the sides of the bucket to engage the bail and to prevent swinging of the scoop too farm the dumping direction.

Assuming the scoop to have been loaded while in the horizontal position of Figure 1, it is necessary that it be hoisted in such position as will retain its load. To accomplish this the hoist line 3 is tensioned, and this applies a force through the pulley 23 to draw the bail 2 toward the bracket so that the two contact, and the stops l5 and 2| are brought into contact, for the overhanging end I of the scoop is similarly drawn to the bail by the force exerted by the same line 3 acting through the line-guiding pulley I3. At this time the dump line 4 is not tensioned, but merely maintained sufficiently taut that it does not foul. The load is hoisted by the hoist line 3, swung to the dumping point, and when in proper position over the dumping point it is only necessary to transfer the load from the line 3 to the'line 4, and to slack off on the hoist line 3. The dump line 4 retains the bail 2 in its upright position, but slacking oil the line 3 permits the unbalanced load (unbalanced primarily because of the overhang H) to rotate the scoop about its pivot axis at 20. The scoop, of its own weight, and by the weight of the load, rotates to or past the position shown in dash lines in Figure 2. This action dumps the load. The stop l6, engageable with the ball 2, prevents swinging of the scoop past a position where its normally flat bottom is vertically disposed.

Having dumped the load, the bucket is swung back over the hatch, and may be left hanging in the dumped position, or swung back to the loadcarrying position by transferring the load back to the hoist line 3, or by tensioning both the hoist line 3 and the dump line 4 the scoop may be returned substantiall to a horizontal position. Regardless of what position it assumes while being returned through the hatch, upon contact with the deck and slacking off of the lines 3 and 4, it assumes the horizontal position of Figure 1.

A haul-back line 5 is attached by a hook to a bracket |8 at the lower rear point of the scoop I, and this serves to haul the scoop back for reloading. When it is ready to be re-loaded it is hauled forward by the drag line 6, engaged by a hook in any one of the holes IS in the lower forward part of the scoop. The drag line 6 may take the form, close to the bucket, of a bridle. Both the drag line 6 and the haul-back line 5 are connected preferably by hooks, which can be released fOr hoisting the bucket. Both these lines may form part of a single line wrapped about a single drum of a tween-deck' winch.

The purpose of providing several holes I9 is to permit the drag line 6 to be connected either close to the bottom, or higher up, in the latter case to produce a tendency for the bucket to tilt and dig into the mass of ore. If this tendency to tilt and dig in should become momentarily excessive, however, it can be overcome by engaging the haul-back line 5 temporarily in the pigtail 50, above the bracket, to produce a counter-torque.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A drag bucket comprising a scoop opening towards one end, means for attachment of drag and haul-back lines at its respectively opposite ends, a bail pivoted to the scoop at a point so located that the scoop when hung by the bail alone will assume a dumping position, a line guide supported above the open end of the scoop, and so located relative to the center of gravity of the loaded scoop that an upward force through the line guide will suspend the scoop in load-retaining position, a hoist line secured to the bail and extending thence beneath the line guide and thence upwardly, and a dump line extending directly upwardly from the bail.

2. A drag bucket comprising a scoop opening towards one end, means for attachment of dra and haul-back lines at its respectively opposite ends, a bail pivoted to the scoop along an axis so located that the scoop when hung by the bail alone will assume a dumping position, a dump line extending directly upwardly from the bail, a hoist line also secured to the ball, a hoist line guide supported on the scoop, above its open end, a second hoist line guide supported on the bail, the hoist line extending from its point of" securement to the bail, beneath the scoop-supported line guide, and thence through the bailsupported line guide, the line guides being so located, per se and relatively, that when the load is carried by the hoist line the bucket will hang in load-retaining position.

3. A drag bucket comprising a scoop opening towards one end, means for attachment of dra and haul-back lines at its respectively opposite ends, a bail pivoted to the scoop along an axis so located that the scoop when hung by the bail alone will assume a dumping position, a dump line extending directly upwardly from the bail, a hoist line also secured to the bail, a hoist line guide supported on the scoop, above its open end, a second hoist line guide supported on the bail, the hoist line extending from its point of securement to the bail, beneath the scoop-supported line guide, and thence through the bailsupported line guide, the line guides being so located, per se and relatively, that when the load is carried by the hoist line the bucket will hang in load-retaining position, and stop means interengageable between the bail and scoop, under the influence of tension in the hoist line, to hold the two line guides in closely adjacent positions.

ward projection sufliciently to admit the load,

4. A drag bucket comprising a scoop opening towards one end, means for attachment of drag and haul-back lines at its respectively opposite ends, a bail pivoted to the scoop along an axis so located that the scoop when hung by the bail alone will assume a dumping position, stop means interengageable between the bail and scoop to limit swing of the scoop past dumping position, a dump line extending directly upwardly from the bail, a hoist line also secured to the bail, a hoist line guide supported on the scoop, above its open end, a second hoist line guide supported on the bail, the hoist line extending from its point of securement to the bail, beneath the scoop-supported line guide, and thence through the bail-supported line guide, the line uides being so located, per se and relatively, that when the load is carried by the hoist line the bucket will hang in load-retaining position.

5. A drag bucket comprising a scoop having a rounded rear wall, and projecting forwardly at its opposite end, a U-shaped bail spanning the scoop and pivoted thereto along an axis generally centered relatively to the scoops rear wall, the forward projection constituting an unbalanced overhang active to dump the scoop if it is suspended from the bail alone, a dump line extending upwardly from the ball, a hoist line secured to the bail, a first line-guiding pulley supported on the scoop above its forward overhang, and at a distance from the bails axis corresponding generally with the length of the bails arms, a second line guiding pulley supported on the bail, somewhat farther radially outwardly of the bails axis than the first pulley, the hoist line extending from its point of securement to the bail, beneath the first pulley and then upwardly and to the rear of the second pulley, and stop means interengageable between the bail and the scoop to limit rotation of the scoop when the hoist line is tensioned, and to hold the scoop in load-retaining position, and the forward projection in unbalanced position, relative to the pivot axis.

6. A drag bucket comprising a scoop having a generally flat bottom, forwardly projecting, and a raised rear wall, a bail pivoted to the scoop adjacent its rear wall, and having a cross bar and side arms of such length that the rear wall may swing through the bail, the forward projection being unbalanced, for dumping, when the scoop hangs freely from the bail, a bar extending from side to side of the scoop, spaced above its forbut engageable with the bail to limit upward swinging of the forward projection, a dump line secured to and for suspending the bail, a hoist line also secured to the bail, two successive line guides engaging the hoist line, one carried by the scoops bar and the other carried by the bail, radially outwardly of the first such guide, and attaching means for drag and haul-back lines adjacent the lower front and lower rear, respectively, of the scoop.

7. A bucket for handling loose material comprising a scoop opening forwardly, and having a forwardly projecting bottom and a raised rear wall, a bail pivoted to the scoop sufficiently near the rear wall that the forward projection overhangs and tends to dump the scoop, when the scoop hangs freely from the ball, a bar extending from side to side of the scoop, spaced above its forward projection sulficiently to admit the load, a dump line secured to and for suspending the bail, a hoist line also secured to the bail, two successive line guides engaging the hoist line, one carried by the scoops bar and the other carried by the bail, and stop means interengageable between the bail and the scoop to hold the scoop, when supported by the hoist line, in load-carrying position, for downward swinging of the overhanging forward projection upon transfer of the support to the dump line.

8. A bucket for handling loose material comprising a scoop opening forwardly, and having a forwardly projecting bottom and a raised rear wall, a bail pivoted to the scoop sufficiently to the rear that the forward projection creates an unbalanced weight tending to dump the scoop when it hangs freely from the bail, a dump line secured to and for suspending the ball, a hoist line also secured to the bail, two successive line guides engaging the hoist line, the first in order, from the hoist lines point of securement to the bail, being supported upon the scoop above its forwardly projecting bottom, and not materially inward radially, from said point of securement, and the second being carried by the bail, not materially inward, radially, from the first, and stop means interengageable between the scoop and the bail to hold the scoop, when supported by the hoist line, in load-carrying position, for downward swinging of the unbalanced forward overhang upon transfer of the support to the dump line.

FRANCIS E. SETIERSTEN. 

